Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Wylfa Power Station

lord howell of guildford: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to reach a decision on the shape of public financial involvement in the proposed new nuclear power station at Wylfa Newydd on the Isle of Anglesey.

lord henley: Ministers and officials are working closely with the developer, Horizon Nuclear Power, on their proposals for building a new nuclear plant at Wylfa Newydd on the Isle of Anglesey. Horizon is continuing to develop its plans and is making good progress on its work to deliver Wylfa Newydd. We are in discussions with the developer on their financing plans, but cannot discuss details as they are commercially confidential.

EURATOM

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the Prime Minister’s Mansion House speech on 2 March, what assessment they have made of associate membership of EURATOM.

lord henley: In the Written Ministerial Statement on 11 January 2018, my Rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy stated that a close and effective association with Euratom will be sought as part of phase 2 of the exit negotiations with the European Union, and set out the UK’s specific objectives in this regard. The Euratom Treaty does not provide for “associate membership” but does provide the Euratom Community with a number of powers to enter into legally binding agreements with third countries. The Committee stage debate of the Nuclear Safeguards Bill held on 22 February 2018, (Official Report Vol 789, Col 301) provides the Government’s assessment of the relevant provisions in the Euratom Treaty.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Professions: Qualifications

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the timetable for the certification of professional qualifications to be agreed through mutual recognition under the Brexit negotiations for doctors, lawyers, architects and other professions.

lord callanan: As the Prime Minister set out in her Mansion House speech, the UK is committed to a continued system for the mutual recognition of professional qualifications as part of a bold and ambitious future economic partnership. In December, the UK Government agreed in the Joint Report with the EU the continued recognition of qualifications for frontier workers and residents, where recognition decisions were received or where recognition procedures were ongoing, before the withdrawal date. This will include qualifications recognised under the MRPQ Directive (Directive 2005/36/EC), as well as lawyers practising under host title and approved statutory auditors, which are currently covered separately in EU legislation. The Government is firmly committed to the agreement in December and we are working with the Commission to agree how they should be translated into legal form in the Withdrawal Agreement. We are committed to turning the Joint Report into legal text as soon as possible and it remains our shared aim to reach agreement on the entire Withdrawal Agreement by October.

Department for Education

Students: Finance

baroness deech: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the impact of the abolition of maintenance grants on university students from disadvantaged backgrounds, and (2) the report from the Sutton Trust, Home and Away, which found that students who cannot afford to live away from home while at university are disadvantaged in terms of social mobility.

viscount younger of leckie: The government published the attached equality analysis, in November 2015, which sets out the impact of the abolition of maintenance grants on protected and disadvantaged groups of students. We are seeing record rates of 18 year olds, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, entering full-time higher education. Our new reforms to higher education will go further to ensure the system is offering more choice and value for money for all students. We have increased support for full-time students’ living costs by 2.8% in 2017/18 to £8,430 a year for eligible full-time students from households with low incomes who live away from home and study outside London – the highest ever amount. The Sutton Trust’s report provides helpful insight into the experience of students who choose not to relocate for study. This is why government’s review of post-18 education and funding will consider how we can encourage and support learning that is more flexible for students, including commuter study options. The review will also consider what more can be done through the financial support available to widen access to university for disadvantaged students, including making sure that the right maintenance support is available 



Student Finance Equality Analysis 2015
(PDF Document, 752.34 KB)

Ministry of Defence

Maritime Patrol Aircraft: Torpedoes

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is planned for UK P8 aircraft to use theUS Mark 54 torpedo in place of the UK Stingray; what the cost of new weapon stocks will be; and what assessment they have made of the impact of the use of the US Mark 54 torpedo on the holdings of Stingray and any upgrade programme.

earl howe: The urgency to establish a Maritime Patrol Aircraft capability led to the decision to procure the P8 aircraft 'off the shelf' with associated weapons fit via a Foreign Military Sales agreement with the US Government. This includes the US Mark 54 torpedo. I am withholding the cost of US Mark 54 torpedo stocks as disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces, but its use will not impact on Sting Ray torpedo holdings. No decision has yet been made on the long-term future of Sting Ray.

Home Office

Cybercrime

lord lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 5 March (HL5646), whether the improvements to Action Fraud's IT systems will include allowing the registration as a crime of online fraud where an attempt is made to defraud but the intended victim aborts the transaction before any damage is done.

baroness williams of trafford: Reports received by Action Fraud are subject to the Home Office Counting Rules for Fraud and Computer Misuse. In most cases a crime will be recorded where the victim responds to a fraudulent approach (such as a phishing email) but does not incur financial loss.Receipt of a fraudulent approach which did not lead to any further action may be reported to Action Fraud but is not counted as a crime. It is instead treated as an information report and is used by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau to identify links between seemingly unexpected fraud attempts. This situation will remain the same when the improved reporting portal is launched.

Borders: Northern Ireland

lord eames: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of the Republic of Irelandabout security arrangements for the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland following Brexit.

baroness williams of trafford: We have a close relationship with Ireland and have regular contact on a range of issues including security arrangements. This cooperation is ongoing and we remain committed to maintaining it as the UK leaves the EU.Both Governments are equally committed to ensuring that our departure from the EU does not lead to a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

UK Border Force: Northern Ireland

lord eames: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the Border Force in Northern Ireland following Brexit.

baroness williams of trafford: The UK is committed to avoiding a hard land border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. It is our priority to deliver a practical solution that recognises the unique social, political and economic circumstances of the border. As set out in the Northern Ireland and Ireland Position Paper (16 August 2017) one of the Government’s essential aims is no physical infrastructure at the land border.Border Force is working closely with other Government Departments on the detailed logistical and operational planning for managing all the impacts of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, on and at the border.Border Force actively monitors workflows to ensure sufficient resources are in place to meet demand and will continue to do so throughout negotiations and as the UK leaves the EU.

UK Border Force: Northern Ireland

lord eames: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current numerical strength of the Border Force in Northern Ireland; and what plans they have for recruitment, in the light of Brexit.

baroness williams of trafford: This Government has ensured that sufficient resources are available to ensure the security of the border is not compromised. Security of the border cannot be measured by numbers of staff.Border Force uses a sophisticated combination of experienced officers, intelligence, data, technology and partnership working. Border Force resources within Northern Ireland are reviewed on a regular basis as part of the wider Border Force business planning process which is led by the Director General of Border Force.

Borders: Northern Ireland

lord eames: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the PSNI regarding border security, in the light of Brexit.

baroness williams of trafford: We will use our future exit from the EU to look at further strengthening UK border security. The Home Office is in regular contact with PSNI across a wide range of EU Exit policy issues, including border security.Of particular relevance to Northern Ireland is the Government’s commitment, as set out in the December Joint Report, to protecting and supporting continued North-South cooperation with Ireland across the full range of contexts, including security, and to ensuring that the UK’s departure from the EU will not lead to a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

Migrant Workers

viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their definition of a required skill for the purposes of immigration; in which sectors of the economy such skills are needed; whether they intend that that definition will change following Brexit; and what is their assessment of future skills requirements.

baroness williams of trafford: Tier 2 is the main immigration route for skilled non-EEA workers. The Tier 2 (General) route is designed to fill skilled vacancies for which no suitable resident workers are available. Applicants must have an offer of a graduate level job, paying an appropriate salary, from an employer which has been licensed by the Home Office to sponsor migrant workers. The skill level of a post must be level 6 on the Regulated Qualification Framework with some exceptions for the Shortage Occupation List and certain creative roles.In July 2017, the Government commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to advise on the economic and social impacts of the UK’s exit from the European Union and also on how the UK’s immigration system should be aligned with a modern industrial strategy. The MAC’s call for evidence sought information on EU migrants’ skills, amongst other things, and this will be considered in their final report due in September 2018. Details can be found on the gov.uk website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/call-for-evidence-and-briefing-note-eea-workers-in-the-uk-labour-marketThe Government will take account of the MAC’s advice when making any final decisions about our future immigration system for EU nationals.

Northern Ireland Office

Absent Voting: Northern Ireland

lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 3 July 2017 (HL3), 15 September 2017 (HL1448), and 13 October 2017 (HL1671), whether the Chief Electoral Officer (Northern Ireland) has completed her enquiry into the increase in proxy voting by over 500 per cent between 2010 and 2017; whether she initiated any further investigation; if so, whether that investigation involves the Police Service of Northern Ireland; when any further investigation was initiated and commenced; and when a definitive outcome is expected to be published.

lord duncan of springbank: The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) has completed her post-election review into absent voting and has written to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland regarding the findings of this review. A copy of this letter has been placed in the Libraries of the House. These are operational matters for the CEO. However, I am aware that a very small number of cases were referred to the PSNI for investigation last year. The Electoral Office for Northern Ireland pass all cases of possible fraud to the PSNI however, the CEO’s review did not reveal any additional cases that warranted investigation.